BIM for the future generations

One of the more pressing issues currently facing the construction industry is that there still remains a serious skills shortage. According to recent reports, there are two main reasons for this: a lack of high-quality training, and a lack of investment. As the industry as a whole looks to tackle this, I have decided to look at one of the hottest topics in construction at the moment, BIM, and what is being done to ensure young aspiring industry professionals are up to speed and ready to embrace BIM in the future.

One of the most obvious solutions to helping young people with BIM would seem to be apprenticeships. By attracting great young minds to your company, they can learn the BIM processes quickly and carry this knowledge forward with them. Indeed more and more companies are training and mentoring their apprentices with BIM in mind. These bright young minds are a new generation of designers and detailers who are getting equipped for the future, ready to lead construction into the modern age. With this in mind, it is absolutely vital that young trainees are taught in detail on processes such as CAD and BIM, with all of the latest software available, as it will be applications like these which will be at the heart of the construction industry for years to come.

Preparing the future generations for BIM only becomes more important when you consider that the government is mandating Level 2 BIM as a minimum by 2016. Unless companies invest in their young workers learning BIM and all that it entails, they run a big risk in falling behind the times and may find it difficult to catch up. Moreover, there is evidence to suggest the younger workers are responding extremely well to learning about BIM, with young students picking it up very quickly.

It would seem companies are recognising that there can be a lot gained for them by investing in the right training programmes for their young workers. It is vital that they understand how important BIM is now and will be in the future. By teaching young aspiring architects, surveyors, and project managers about BIM now, companies can ensure that they will be providing BIM brilliance in the future.